End of Syria's civil war sets stage for new era

London

BOLSTERED by Russian air support, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has retaken virtually all of eastern Aleppo controlled by the rebels since 2012. It's a turning point in the civil war and strengthens President Assad's hand in international negotiations on Syria's future. The victory for Mr Assad and his international backers - chiefly Iran and Russia - represents a serious setback for the United States and its allied Gulf monarchies.

Civil wars are always brutal, but Syria's stands out for the sheer scale of casualties, refugees and infrastructure destruction. About 400,000 citizens have been killed in the country of 22 million, reports the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. As many as 6.1 million Syrians have been internally displaced. Another 4.8 million have become refugees in the neighbouring countries and beyond. Economic losses during the first four years of conflict are put at US$206 billion with four out of five Syrians living below the poverty line. There have been countless airstrikes on civilian targets, deliberate or accidental.